French fries' irresistible crispness and rich golden-brown color make them too good to pass up when you're eating out, but those qualities are challenging to replicate at home.

However, as a Two's Company cook, do you really want to? The qualities that make fried foods so distinctive and delicious may not be compatible with your culinary lifestyle.

Deep-frying requires lots of oil, a large sturdy pot or deep fryer, and an apartment large enough to allow you to escape from the lingering aroma.

Fortunately, you can achieve similar results with less mess, less attention to the stovetop, and a lot less fat if you oven-roast instead of deep-frying. As long as you have a heavy baking sheet and an oven, you're good to go.

But why stop at potatoes? Push those spuds to the side and add other veggies to the mix.

For example, shallots become wonderfully sweet and buttery tender when you roast them. Green beans undergo the most amazing transformation, developing the crunch of a fry.

In the following entree salad, you can taste the difference oven-roasting makes. This recipe calls for longer roasting times than you might find elsewhere. Let the green beans cook until they're deeply browned. The result is intense flavor and more appealing texture.

Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Makes 2 servings.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes

4 ounces green beans, trimmed

4 shallots (walnut size), peeled and trimmed

6 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 (6 1/2- to 7 1/2-ounce) can red salmon, drained and flaked

Place green beans, shallots and potatoes in a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil. Add thyme sprigs. Sprinkle lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Stir ingredients with wooden spoon.

Roast vegetables in preheated 425-degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the green beans and shallots are well browned and the potatoes tender. Remove from oven and cool until vegetables can be handled. Reserve roasting pan.

Arrange green beans and potatoes in a deep platter. Halve or quarter shallots and place over green beans. Pour vinegar into roasting pan and scrape up bits of thyme and oil in the pan. Pour over vegetables. Top with salmon. Toss before serving.

Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Salad Recipe - Bev Bennett Recipes

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